Homicides take slight dip in 2009

3 of city's 15 slayings are unsolved

CORPUS CHRISTI - A teenage girl shot in a drive-by. A man shot several times and left for dead. An elderly man found beaten.

They are the city's three unsolved homicide cases of 2009.

A man killed on New Year's Eve in what police say was a home invasion was the 15th and last homicide of the year.

A homicide is defined as the killing of one person by another. But federal standards mean those deaths are classified in different ways depending on the situation.

Accidental deaths, traffic fatalities, killings from self-defense or negligence are not considered criminal homicides.

At least two of the year's homicides — a would-be robber shot by a homeowner in January and a suspect shot by an officer in May — were considered justified and also won't be included in the criminal homicide tally. Police say Thursday's shooting also likely will fall into the category of justified.

But no matter how the homicides are classified, 2009 still saw fewer killings than in recent years.

In 2008, there were 19 homicides. The year before the city had 17 criminal homicides, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report.

Solving every case as soon as possible is what police strive for because the more time that passes brings it that much closer to a cold case, said Lt. Isaac Valencia.

Police believe two of the three unsolved cases were gang-related.

In the case of the teenager shot in a drive-by who died in January, she seemed to be an unintended victim.

"(She) was an innocent person in this thing," Valencia said.

Valencia said gang-related killings can be difficult to solve because witnesses often don't want to come forward.

"But sooner or later someone is going to talk for some reason," he said.

Police also are working to solve the third case, which involves an elderly man who died about two weeks after a brutal assault.

"We have very good leads that have led us to persons of interest," he said. "We're working on developing that information."

2009 homicides: Who the victims were

Jan. 13

Matilda Reyes, a 17-year-old Miller High School student with Down syndrome, died of injuries suffered in an earlier drive-by shooting.

Matilda was shot Dec. 4, 2008, after a gunman with a semi-automatic rifle opened fire on a home in the 1200 block of Manchester Avenue.

Jan. 23

Albert Medrano Jr., 34, was shot and killed after police say he and two other would-be robbers barged into a home in the 1500 block of Lazy Lane. A grand jury in May declined to indict the homeowner in connection with the shooting. Police have said the three men attacked the homeowner, who managed to grab one of his guns and shoot all three. Eric Garcia, 37, was convicted in September of the lesser charge of aggravated assault and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Lorenzo Moreno, 35, is awaiting trial on an aggravated robbery charge.

March 11

Corpus Christi Police Lt. Stuart Alexander was hit and killed by an SUV during a high-speed chase while he stood on a grassy median.

Police say Daniel Lopez, 22, was driving the vehicle and also accuse him of ramming patrol cars and trying to run over other officers.

Lopez has been indicted on several charges in connection with the incident including capital murder, assault on a public servant, several counts of attempted capital murder and evading arrest.

His trial is set for Feb. 22.

May 9

Sylvester Villasana, 28, was fatally shot by a Corpus Christi police officer after police say he refused to obey commands to surrender and advanced toward an officer.

Police said Villasana at the time had been holding a cell phone in one hand and an open folding knife in the other. The incident began after he refused to pull over for a traffic stop and led officers on a high-speed chase.

A grand jury in June decided that no criminal charges were warranted against the officer.

May 18

A business owner found the body of Alejandro Barrera dumped in the 7100 block of Greenwood Drive. Barrera, 38, had been shot multiple times.

Police have said they believe the killing may have been connected to an earlier shooting the day before on Prescott Street that left three men injured.

May 25

Retired neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Klotz, 86, shot his wife, Carol, 83, before turning the gun on himself, an act police have said was sparked out of frustration over the couple's failing health.

June 18

The bodies of three people, Jaime Flanagan, 42, his girlfriend, Deletha Baker, 55, and her 14-year-old granddaughter, Nostalgia Baker, were found after a home explosion in the 900 block of Greenbay Drive.

Autopsy results revealed only Flanagan had enough soot in his lungs to have been alive at the time of the explosion. Deletha Baker was stabbed to death. Her granddaughter, who had head trauma, had a low amount of carbon monoxide in her lungs, a sign she may have taken some breaths at the time of the explosion.

Investigators closed the case as a murder-suicide after DNA results helped them eliminate any other suspects.

July 31

Isabel Martinez Jr., 19, was killed in a shooting outside Burlington Coat Factory. Police say the shooting in the parking lot was sparked by a confrontation between two groups of people inside the store. Four men and a 16-year-old boy were taken into custody after their vehicle was stopped by police based on descriptions given by witnesses.

The men — Anthony Hernandez, 18, Israel Robali, 19, Juan Herrera, 21, and Alfredo Garza, 20, were indicted in September on charges of murder and aggravated assault. They are awaiting trial.

Aug. 29

Joe Henry Ruiz, 31, was found stabbed to death on a sidewalk in the 7800 block of Falcon Drive. Police have said Ruiz likely had been lying on the sidewalk for about an hour before bystanders spotted him.

Fernando Espinoza, 31, was arrested Dec. 1 on suspicion of murder in connection with the killing.

Sept. 3

Joshua Newton, 20, died from stab wounds two days after a Sept. 1 incident. Police have said Newton and his wife were walking home from a store when a confrontation began between them and Alfred Aviles, 27, and a woman.

The argument between the two couples started about a hair straightener and escalated into accusations of child neglect, police said.

A woman who tried to come to Newton's aid was stabbed.

Aviles was indicted on charges of murder and aggravated assault. He is awaiting trial.

Sept. 27

Police who responded to an assault call found 58-year-old Juan Botello unconscious at a home in the 4800 block of Cynthia Street.

His son, Christopher Botello, 23, is accused of killing him and is awaiting trial on a murder charge.

Witnesses told police the younger Botello had been arguing with his grandmother when his father came to the home to resolve the dispute.

Police said the two men argued and the son knocked the father to the ground, kicked him and delivered blows to his face.

The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide and an autopsy found he died of massive internal bleeding.

Heriberto Saenz, 18, is facing a murder charge and three counts of aggravated assault related to the shooting.

Witnesses told police that shots were fired from a red Ford F-150 pickup at a group of people standing outside in the 1100 block of Sabinas Street. Silguero, who was struck in the head and chest, died Oct. 1.

Nov. 27

Miguel Garcia Bayardo, 78, died at a hospital on Nov. 27 from blood clots in his lungs as a complication from injuries he suffered in an assault.

Police believe Bayardo was assaulted Nov. 13, the same day he had planned to take a trip to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico.

He was found that same day in the area of 15th Street and Morgan Avenue. His vehicle was found Nov. 30 near Annapolis Drive and Staples Street.

Dec. 31

Rudy Recio, 26, was killed in a home invasion in the 3200 block of Crestwater Drive.

Police said at least two men kicked in the door of a home where four people were sleeping. There was a confrontation between the men who entered the home and a 24-year-old male resident. Police said gunfire was exchanged and Recio, one of the suspects, was hit.